StickFighter

A high-performance monochrome fighting game for the Arduboy and SDL2.

Gameplay

StickFighter is a technical fighting game featuring 10 unique characters, each with their own bone-based animation set and special moves. Fight through a ladder of opponents to become the champion!

Controls

Action	Arduboy	SDL2 (Keyboard)
Move Left	Left	Left Arrow
Move Right	Right	Right Arrow
Jump	Up	Up Arrow
Duck	Down	Down Arrow
Punch (A)	A	Z
Kick (B)	B	X
Block	Hold Back	Hold Back
Quit	-	Q
Restart	-	R

Special Moves

Special moves are activated using a specific directional sequence followed by an attack button. All characters share the same special move.

Cost: 50% Special Meter

Special Move	Combo (Facing Right)	Description
Fireball	↓ → + A	Launch a projectile across the screen.

Development

The game is written in C++ with a platform-agnostic engine.

Building for SDL2 (Local Testing)

make sdl
./stickfighter_sdl

Building for Arduboy

make compile

Animation Editor

The project includes a multi-window desktop animation editor for fine-tuning character poses.

make editor
./stickfighter_editor

• Preview Window: Shows the animation playing at 60 FPS.
• Controls Window: Select poses, bones, and adjust angles via mouse.
• Save: Click "SAVE" to update poses.h directly.

Architecture

• Engine.cpp/h: Core math, physics, and skeletal rendering.
• Game.cpp/h: Main game loop, AI, and combat logic.
• Platform.h: Compatibility layer between Arduino/Arduboy and SDL2.
• game_data.h: Character stats, constants, and global structures.
• poses.h: Character pose data (Flash memory optimized).

Recent Updates: "Greatness" Update

1. Narrative Expansion

• Story Mode Integration: Every fighter now features a unique Intro and Ending sequence. These character-specific stories provide motivation at the start of the ladder and a sense of "fulfilling greatness" upon victory.
• Dynamic Presentation: Stories are displayed with character-themed screens and animated prompts to enhance the arcade experience.

2. Tactical AI Overhaul

• Archetype System: AI now follows specific profiles: Rushdown (aggressive), Zoners (projectile-focused), and Tanks (patient counter-attackers).
• Anti-Cheese Mechanisms: The AI now recognizes camping tactics. If a player stays ducking, the AI will close the gap and prioritize low-breaking attacks.
• Skill-Based Parrying: The parry system has been tightened to require frame-perfect timing, preventing "auto-parry" exploits.

3. Physical Archetype Scaling

• Dynamic Stats: Character size (skeletal limb length) now fundamentally alters gameplay:
  • Bigger (Heavies): Higher damage output, reduced movement speed.
  • Smaller (Lights): High mobility and speed, reduced raw power.
• Roster Rebalancing: The 10-character roster has been retuned to balance speed and power against physical reach.

4. Developer Tools & Engine Stability

• Editor Zoom Suite: The Animation Editor now features a comprehensive zoom system. Use Up/Down arrows or the new UI +/- buttons to inspect bone alignments at any scale.
• Intelligent Camera: The editor camera now dynamically recalculates its height based on zoom level, ensuring the character remains centered and the ground line stays visible.
• Platform Multi-Window Fix: Resolved a critical memory corruption issue in the SDL mock layer. The engine now properly supports independent memory buffers for multiple Arduboy2 instances, enabling stable multi-window tools.
• Engine Refinement: Facial features now maintain consistent artistic proportions across all zoom levels through a new threshold-based scaling system.

License

MIT.